Much back-and-forth about Auburn football quarterback Hank Brown potentially leaving the program came to an end Sunday night.
The redshirt freshman will be entering the transfer portal upon its opening Monday morning, he told ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Auburn Undercover. His departure comes after reports initially swirled Dec. 1 that he’d be entering the portal. However, he refuted that news on his personal Instagram account later that day.
He joins fellow Auburn quarterback Holden Geriner in leaving the program and becomes the ninth Tiger since the season’s end to announce his intention to transfer.
Brown’s time on the Plains comes to an end after two seasons, including a brief stint as Auburn’s starter this fall. That lasted just two games, as he replaced Payton Thorne for the Tigers’ 45-19 win over New Mexico on Sept. 14 and started the SEC opener against Arkansas a week later. After just one half and three interceptions against the Razorbacks, Brown was back on the sidelines.
In five career contests, Brown threw for 535 yards and completed 65.4% of his passes. He also threw six touchdowns to three interceptions, with four of those scores coming in Auburn’s win over the Lobos.
A three-star recruit out of Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, Brown committed to Auburn’s 2023 signing class after previously pledging to play for Hugh Freeze at Liberty. He also held offers from Illinois, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and UAB.
Auburn Tigers quarterback Hank Brown (15) walks off the field after the game as Auburn Tigers take on New Mexico Lobos at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. Auburn Tigers defeated New Mexico Lobos 45-19.
What does Hank Brown’s departure mean for Auburn football’s QB room?
Without Brown, the Auburn quarterback room is officially down to two.
Walker White, a rising redshirt freshman, and five-star signee Deuce Knight are currently the only two passers on Auburn’s roster. That’ll change when the portal opens, as Freeze has already expressed that the Tigers will be carrying four quarterbacks in 2025.
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“We choose to carry four of the 85 scholarships, and currently we stand at three with one of ours going in the portal,” Freeze said Wednesday. “We have Walker, and we have Hank and now we have Deuce, so we have an extra spot. We will be looking for who is the best fit for that extra spot.”
That means Auburn could be vying for multiple quarterback additions from the portal.
